HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kay Keselowski has some advice for Brad Keselowski’s competitors and a message for his race fans.

To competitors, she has some motherly advice when talking about her 28-year-old son.

“Don’t try to intimidate him. … I can’t stand to be bullied around,” she said. “That’s probably my biggest pet peeve in my life. And I know his dad has a lot of that, too. He didn’t stand a chance to not have that attitude.”\

To race fans, she shows a bit of motherly love and pride when talking about her youngest child.

“People have a tendency to think he’s arrogant and full of himself,” she said. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth. He truly is not. That’s not what he’s about.”

With their son on the brink of a possible Sprint Cup championship, Bob and Kay Keselowski hope to revel in a celebration when the season ends Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Brad has a 20-point lead on five-time champion Jimmie Johnson and all he has to do is finish 15th or better to win the title.

Like any parents, they played a role in their son’s development as a racecar driver and as a person. Bob had a little more influence on the racing side, showing a touch of stubbornness, while Kay taught him to be fair but confident and that it’s OK at times to display emotion.

The Keselowskis were a staple in the Camping World Truck Series garage from 1995 to 2003 and have had a race team for decades in a variety of NASCAR series as well as ARCA, where Bob Keselowski won the 1989 championship.

But in hopes of giving Brad as much of an opportunity as possible, they spent all their money on him for the 2005 racing season, money that eventually ran out a few races into 2006.

Brad Keselowski blamed himself — a blame that his mother said is “so unfair because he wasn’t responsible for any of that” — and continued looking for a ride.

He eventually got a few breaks, substituting for a suspended Ted Musgrave in the truck race at Memphis in 2007 and then getting a Nationwide Series ride at JR Motorsports, and eventually a Cup ride at Penske Racing.

He brings with him lessons from that early experience, lessons that his parents believe give them no worries about how he will react to the pressure of Sunday’s race.

“Devastating is when you don’t know how you can pay your bills tomorrow and if you are ever going to have a ride again the rest of your life,” Bob Keselowski said.

“Winning the NASCAR championship is pretty dang important, but not being able to put food on the table is probably more important.”

Brad eventually helped bring his parents out of a financial hole by paying their bills. Their family doesn’t own the race team anymore but his mother has come to several races this year, as has his sister, Dawn, who spends part of her time in North Carolina helping with Brad’s business endeavors.

But Bob has not come to a race this year.

“We talk before he leaves and when he gets back,” Bob said as he sat in a motorhome at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “He knows I care. The only thing I would be doing is spectating. I would prefer to spectate by watching on TV and listening to the (scanner on the) computer.

“Then I know what’s going on. Standing behind the pit box, I don’t have a clue.”

Having his father here is meaningful for what could be the biggest day of his career, Brad said.

“My dad is the type of guy that would probably never tell you ‘Good job’ to your face, but if he spoke to you or did an interview with you, he'd say, ‘Wow, man, you've got to see what Brad has done, it's great and I feel awesome about it,’” Brad said.

“I have to rely on those outside things, those nuances, so to speak, so it's good to see him.”

Brad’s older brother, Brian, also is coming to the track Sunday. Bob admits that if he had to pick who was a better racer a decade ago, he’d point to Brian.

But Brian never got the opportunities his brother has had and has not raced much in recent years — the main exception being the 2011 Daytona 500 when Brad pushed Brian to a transfer spot in the qualifying race earlier in the week.

“We have different personalities, different builds and different interests outside of racing, obviously, and that makes us two completely different people who don't really share some of the same passions and aren't necessarily that related in a mental sense,” Brad Keselowski said.

Brad’s personality is now more outgoing, although his mother says he is still introverted. It’s just that he has an opinion and when asked a question, he does his best to try to answer it. His mother says he listens to others and evaluates the validity of other opinions.

He also likes to challenge people on their opinions.

“He would make a phenomenal attorney,” Kay said. “Because he loves to fight the fight. … He definitely is a thinker. He thinks outside the box.”

Maybe the only thing he likes better than challenging people is being challenged himself.

That has resulted in a driver who hates being told he can’t accomplish something. So when no one believed he could win with a broken ankle at Pocono last year, that just pushed him more to prove he could.

Why does he perform best when his back is against a wall? Maybe it has to do with the way the family race team operated.

Winning had a special incentive — a trip to the Big Boy or another quick-bite restaurant.

“You have to understand that was the rule of the thumb — if we won, we got to stop and get something to eat,” Kay said. “If we didn’t, we stopped and (Bob) got coffee and the rest of us went home.”

There won’t just be one celebratory meal if Brad hoists the biggest trophy of his career Sunday with his family by his side.

“You're always trying to do things for your family that impress (them), and those are hard to come by,” Brad said. “At least they are for me.

“And even when you accomplish them, sometimes they don't really … at least my dad doesn't show you what it meant (to him). But it's in moments like that that you can see them and feel them and you realize what your motivation was for choosing this style of life to begin with.”